LAHORE, Oct 11: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Ijaz Ahmad Chaudhry has called for affidavits about assets in the country and abroad of President Asif Ali Zardari (as co-chairman of the PPP), Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, PML-N chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and several other leaders.

The chief justice, who was hearing a petition relating to assets of the leaders, issued notices on Tuesday asking the respondents to file their replies along with affidavits about their assets.

The respondents include Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Chaudhry Pervez Elahi of PML-Q, Punjab Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, Chief Secretary Nasir Khosa, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf chief Imran Khan and PPP-SB chief Ghinwa Bhutto.

The federal secretaries for cabinet division and law and justice have been made party in the petition.

Then hearing was adjourned till the first week of December.

Barrister Javed Iqbal Jaffrey, who had filed the petition in 1993, has submitted an amended plea alleging that the leaders have plundered public money and transferred billions of rupees to banks abroad.

He alleged that Nawaz Sharif had laundered over $3 billion, mostly to the UK where his two sons had acquired precious property.

The petitioner accused the prime minister of having spent about Rs500 million from public funds on his houses in Multan and Lahore.

He requested the court to direct the Federal Board of Revenue and anti-corruption departments to interrogate the respondents using lie-detection machines.

Had his petition been decided in time, he said, the country would not have faced humiliation and worldwide criticism.

He said the respondents went abroad and stayed in seven-star hotels while begging for aid.

He requested the court to ask the respondents to bring back their foreign assets and use them for the welfare of Pakistan.